George Ryga
George Ryga (July 27, 1932 - November 18, 1987) was a Canadian poet, playwright, and novelist. Life Ryga was born in Deep Creek (near Athabasca), Alberta to poor Ukrainian immigrant parents. Unable to continue his schooling past grade 6, he worked at a variety of jobs, including radio copywriter. Ryga continued to study, taking correspondence courses, and winning a scholarship to the Banff School of Fine Arts. In 1955, he travelled to Europe, where he attended the World Assembly for Peace in Helsinki and worked for the BBC. The following year he returned to Canada. While living in Edmonton, he published his earliest book, Song of My Hands (1956), a collection of poems. Ryga's debut play, Indian, was performed on television in 1961. He achieved national exposure with The Ecstasy of Rita Joe in 1967. It was performed in Vancouver, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, and in Washington state. In 1971, the work was performed as a ballet by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Other plays by Ryga include: *''Captives of the Faceless Drummer'' - 1971 *''Sunrise on Sarah - 1972'' *''Portrait of Angelica'' - 1973 *''Ploughmen of the Glacier'' - 1977 *''In the Shadow of the Vulture'' - 1985 *''Paracelsus'' - 1986 *''Summerland'' - 1992 He made a significant contribution to popular music when he wrote lyrics for a series of songs composed by the members of the Vancouver-based band The Collectors for the soundtrack of his 1969 play Grass and Wild Strawberries. Early Morning, the single release from the resulting Grass & Wild Strawberries album, became a minor local hit, and the showstopping album track Seventeenth Summer was re-recorded by the band after it underwent a membership change and changed its name to Chilliwack. The distinctive track, strongly influenced by First Nations musical forms, became a signature tune in live shows by Chilliwack for many years afterward. He died in Summerland, British Columbia, in 1987. Writing Ryga achieved national exposure with The Ecstasy of Rita Joe in 1967. The work, considered by many to be the most important English-language play by a Canadian playwright, is the story of a young native woman arriving in the city who finds that she has no place with either her own people or the white man. Recognition Ryga's home has been turned into the George Ryga Centre, an arts and culture centre, opened in 1996 by the George Ryga Society (a non-profit foundation independent of government funding).Welcome to the Ryga Center, The George Ryga Center, Ryga.org, Web, July 2, 2012. A biography, The Ecstasy of Resistance, by James Hoffman, was published in 1995. Publications Poetry * Song of My Hands, and other poems. Edmonton: National Publishing, 1956. Novels * Hungry Hills. Toronto: Longman, 1963. * Night Desk. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 1976. * Ballad of a Stone-Picker. London: Michael Joseph, 1966. * In the Shadow of the Vulture. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 1985. * George Ryga: The prairie novels (edited by James Hoffman). Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2004. Plays * The Ecstasy of Rita Joe. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 1970. * The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, and other plays (includes Indian, and Grass and Wild Strawberries). Toronto: General Publishing, 1971. * Sunrise on Sarah. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 1973. * Ploughman of the Glacier. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 1977. * Seven Hours to Sundown. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 1977. * Beyond the Crimson Morning. Toronto: Doubleday, 1979. *''Two Plays: Paracelsus and Prometheus Bound''. Winnipeg: Turnstone, 1982. * A Portrait of Angelica & A Letter to My Son. Winnipeg: Turnstone, 1984. * George Ryga: The other plays (edited by James Hoffman). Vancouver: Talonboks, 2004. Nonfiction * Beyond the Crimson Morning: Reflections from a journey through contemporary China, 1979."George Ryga, Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature (Oxford University Press, 2001), Answers.com, Web, July 2, 2012. Collections * The Athabasca Ryga (edited by David Gregory). Vancouver: Talonbooks, 1990. * Summerland (edited by Ann Kujundzic). Vancouver: Talonbooks, 1992. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy Athabasca University.Bibliography of Works by George Ryga, English-Canadian Writers, Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, Athabasca University, Web, July 2, 2012.. Audio / video Film *2009 [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1487257/ Hungry Hills] See also *List of Canadian poets *List of English-language playwrights References * Notes External links ;Books *George Ryga at Amazon.com ;About *George Ryga in the Canadian Encyclopedia *George Ryga at the Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia *Ryga, George at ABC Bookworld *George Ryga at English-Canadian Writers *George Ryga biocritical essay by James Hoffman *George Ryga Official website. *[http://www4.nac-cna.ca/pdf/eth/0809/rita_joe_guide.pdf The Ecstasy of Rita Joe] Study Guide], National Arts Centre *"[http://journals.hil.unb.ca/index.php/tric/article/view/7428/8487 The Psychology of Politics: George Ryga's ''Captives of the Faceless Drummer]" at Studies in Canadian Literature ;Etc. *The George Ryga Centre Category:Canadian dramatists and playwrights Category:Canadian novelists Category:1932 births Category:1987 deaths Category:Canadian people of Ukrainian descent Category:20th-century poets Category:Canadian poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets